Overheated
by Bitway
Summary: It's the first time Lio wakes up cold and sick. He'd done something stupid, hadn't he?


Eyes slowly force themselves open. He blinks, vision blurry. He tries to focus on something spinning overhead- in time he makes it out to be the fan. As he becomes conscious, Lio feels himself shiver even when underneath blankets.

He tries to move from his position, hands weakly pressing into the mattress and pushing his body to sit up. Such an easy task drains him. The world seems to spin and his stomach churns. A hand goes to his head, hoping to ease the throbbing pain.

_'How did I end up here…?'_

It was difficult to recall what happened last, especially when he felt like utter crap. He couldn't tell if he was really drawing a blank, or this headache was preventing him from recalling his previous waking moments.

The door to the room opens and his gaze shifts to it. Galo walks in with a small towel in one hand and a water bottle in the other. His face switches between a smile and a look of irritation. Regardless of how he's feeling, he rushes over to the bedside.

"Hey!" He shouts, unintentionally. "You should lay down."

Galo places the bottle down before putting his hand against Lio's bare chest. He gives him a gentle push for the other to lie down. Lio doesn't protest. Even if he doesn't show it, he's more than happy to rest against the bed. It helps stop his head from spinning so much.

The firefighter sighs as he gets a better look at him. Lio's cheeks were flushed, even his body felt warmer than usual. He could barely keep his eyes open. Galo watches his chest, seeing him breathe in and out. A hand moves to brush his bangs aside so he could place the moist towel on his forehead. For a moment, Galo swears that he could see steam come from him.

"Lio," he breathes out, waiting for the other to turn his gaze onto him. "Just- what were you thinking?" His voice raises as he asks that question.

Lio squints and raises a brow in response.

"What do you…?"

He stops, realizing how dry his mouth feels and just how thirsty he is. Galo quickly opens the water bottle and lifts it to Lio's lips. He ends up gulping more water down than he thought.

"Sorry for shouting," Galo mutters. He's quiet for a moment, letting the other drink. Once he's done, he continues. "Don't you remember? You passed out in the bath earlier."

Lio rests his head on the pillow, trying to think back what happened last. He could remember feeling sick and thought a bath would help. A _hot_ bath. And while he was taking one, something inside him made him long for the heat. Why he'd chosen to follow some silly feeling, he couldn't say for sure. But in the end, he had turned the bath into a personal sauna. The boiling water could never meet the temperature of his old flames, but it felt familiar, soothing.

"I remember now…" He says, quietly. "You got me out of there?"

"Well, yeah! I had to! I couldn't just let you sit in there all day!" Galo was shouting again. "Do you know what would have happened if I did? You would have melted!"

It's a weird thing to say as much as it is hearing it. But saying it aloud makes a few things click. Or at least enough to make Galo question-

"Lio…why'd you do that?"

Maybe it was a dumb question to ask. But he knew Lio. He knew just how smart and resourceful he was. Knew that the other man could easily take care of himself. He was stronger than most, even if he didn't look it. He could live out in the wild and manage to survive with no help. And yet, here he was. Getting himself sick.

The longer it took for Lio to reply, the more Galo realized that he used to be a Burnish. It wasn't something he forgot, no. Lio was human. He was just able to synchronize with the Promare. Now they had all left this world, leaving the Burnish to be human once more. Including Lio. Who would always be human to him.

"I…miss it."

"Miss it?"

Lio sighs.

"The Promare. The flames. It was a part of me for most of my life." He pauses, taking a moment to breathe as his mouth still felt dry. "The warm and burning feeling, the way my body felt when the flames surrounded me. Having it gone now feels…like I'm missing a part of me." He glances to his that resting on the covers. Fingers flex as if trying to capture an invisible flame.

"So, you want to be on fire again?"

If Lio had the energy to roll his eyes, he would.

"Sort of. It's…complicated." How could he explain it to someone who was never a Burnish? His thoughts were too scrambled to find the right thing to say. If only he wasn't sick, maybe he could think of some way to convey what he meant to Galo. "I don't know if you'd be able to understand."

"Probably not, but I'm willing to listen," he replies with a grin. "Once you're feeling better anyway."

Lio smiles a bit. Hearing him say that he was interested in him and his weird disconnection from the Promare left a warm feeling in his chest. A good warm feeling.

"Sorry for worrying you," Lio mutters as he turns on his side. Movement made his stomach feel queasy, but he would be fine.

"Man, you really scared me, you know? I don't know what I'd do if I hadn't gotten to you on time…"

His mind goes back to how he had frantically opened the bathroom door after Lio hadn't responded to him. The room was filled with steam, practically making Galo sweat. In the tub was Lio, who was knocked out. Galo had rushed to get him out before he could get worse.

Seeing that unconscious look on his face, his limp body in his arms- it reminded him of when Lio nearly died. And that made an old fear crawl into his chest and wrap tightly around his heart. He didn't want to lose him.

And this time, there would be no second chances.

It was a depressing thought. He didn't like it. He should be thinking of something else. And with Lio lying in front of him, that's all his thoughts were filled with. He'd even reminded himself that the other was still naked underneath those covers. Galo, in his worried state, hadn't thought to put anything on him. Now he's certain that his face was just as red as Lio's.

"Anyway! Rest up!" He shouts with arms crossed, trying to distract himself from that lingering thought. "I'll make sure that you don't try and move outta this bed until you're better!"

Lio gives a light chuckle as he gets comfortable.

"I won't…I'll treat you to pizza when I'm better…"

"All you can eat?"

"Yeah…"

Lio would regret that later, but for now it seemed like the perfect way to thank him. Besides, he was feeling too tired, too sleepy to argue that he shouldn't be eating so much pizza.

Galo wore a huge grin, looking forward to his future treat. But, that smile slowly faded as his gaze fell on the sleeping Lio. His mind was still wracked with worry.

It seemed that he still had some flames left to extinguish in him.


End file.
